RB DuJuan Harris to be the Starter in Green Bay?

It may just be a ploy to keep rookie RBs Eddie Lacy and Johnathan Franklin motivated, but Packers coach Mike McCarthy recently claimed that he is excited for RB DuJuan Harris to return to practice, as he views him as the team’s starter. Harris has been out with a knee injury for some time, but should be back in a little more than a week to challenge Lacy for carries. It’s not that Lacy has been lackadaisical in his preseason performance, either. He’s been impressive in practice and has already done a solid job holding off fellow rookie Johnathan Franklin thus far.

Still, I don’t believe Harris poses a serious threat to Lacy as the lead back in Green Bay.

Going into his third year in the league, Harris has gained less than 200 yds and 2 TDs over that span. At best, he’s a change of pace back, competing with Franklin for action. Franklin actually has a better chance of getting the ball than Harris, as he’s actually a more polished pass catcher than Lacy, which goes a long way in a “throw first, ask questions later” city like Green Bay. Still, Lacy is the definition of a downhill runner and will have to regress considerably to lose out that battle.

Harris will stay in the conversation—Green Bay has learned the hard way not to scrimp on backs— but I’m afraid he won’t be very useful in fantasy unless an injury befalls Lacy.